Part 17: Quiet Moments

After Z went down for the night, exhausted from showing Ti every inch of the backyard and all his soccer moves, they found themselves alone on the couch. Ti noticed how Reece sat closer than strictly necessary, their thighs pressed together.

"Thanks," Reece said quietly. "For today. For... all of it."

"Always, little daddy." Ti let his arm rest along the back of the couch, fingertips just brushing Reece's shoulder. He felt the slight shiver that ran through the other man at the touch.

"Been different," Reece continued softly, eyes fixed ahead. "Since you been around. Z's happier. And I..." he trailed off, swallowing hard.

"And you?" Ti prompted gently, heart pounding.

Instead of answering, Reece turned toward him, dark eyes intense in the dim light from the kitchen. For a moment they just looked at each other, years of careful distance and growing trust hanging between them.

Then slowly, deliberately, Reece leaned in until his forehead rested against Ti's shoulder. The gesture was so unexpectedly vulnerable that Ti's breath caught.

"Got me feeling things I ain't felt in a long time," Reece admitted roughly, words muffled against Ti's shirt.

Ti brought his hand up to cup the back of Reece's neck, gentle but firm. "Good things?"

"Yeah," Reece breathed, pressing closer. "Scary things."

"I got you," Ti promised, fingers stroking soothingly over Reece's fade. "Ain't going nowhere."

They stayed like that for a long moment, Reece gradually relaxing under Ti's touch. When he finally lifted his head, his eyes were soft in a way Ti had never seen before.

"Ti," he started, then stopped, seeming to gather courage. "Would you..."

"What you need, little daddy?" Ti asked gently, thumb brushing Reece's jaw.

Instead of answering, Reece closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to Ti's in a kiss that was somehow both hesitant and desperate. Ti kissed back carefully, letting Reece set the pace, feeling him melt when Ti's hand tightened slightly on his neck.

When they broke apart, Reece's eyes were wide, vulnerable in a way that made Ti's chest ache. "This okay?" Reece asked roughly.

"More than okay," Ti assured him, pulling him close again. "Been wanting this. Wanting you."

Reece made a soft sound, somewhere between relief and need, and buried his face in Ti's neck. "Stay?" he whispered. "Just... just for a while?"

"Long as you want," Ti promised, running soothing hands down Reece's back as the other man practically curled into his lap, all that careful distance finally melting away.

They stayed like that, trading soft kisses and softer touches, until the kitchen light flickered with approaching dawn. Everything was different now, but Ti knew they'd handle it the same way they'd handled everything else - together, one careful step at a time.

And judging by the way Reece clung to him, unwilling to let go even as the sun rose, they were both exactly where they wanted to be.